Michael Marlow

Michael L. Marlow (also known as Mike Marlow) received his B.A. degree in economics in 1975 from George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in economics in 1978 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He has been a Professor of Economics at the California State Polytechnic University-San Luis Obispo since 1988.

Michael Marlow and Philip Morris
Michael Marlow has a long term relationship with Philip Morris and the tobacco industry, via the Tobacco Institute. as explained in the following incomplete list. Some of the linked documents became available after a settlement between tobacco companies and U.S. state attorney generals.

1994
In 1994 Michael Marlow was a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the pro-tobacco junk science report Science, economics, and environmental policy: a critical examination published on August 11, 1994, by the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (AdTI). Philip Morris was a sponsor of AdTI (see AdTI-Funding).

1995
In December, 1995 Philip Morris made a contract on request of John R. Dunham (from 1995 to 2000 manager of Fiscal Issues and Chief Domestic Economist at Philip Morris Management Corp.) with Mr. Marlow and William J. Boyes for a project from August 1, 1996 to December 31, 1996 for an academic study based on literature on smoking bans which should result in a model on how smoking bans effect resource allocation and income distribution within the restaurant and bar industry. Initial project payment was $13,500 and for additional work the rate was set to $100 per hour (max. $50,000). 

1996
Around April 1996 a draft was available of the document "The Economics of Smoking Bans" by William Boyes and Michael Marlow. 

And around September 12, 1996 there was documend called "The Effects on Businesses of Laws Restricting Smoking" by Boyes and Marlow. 

1997
Michael Marlow wrote around November 1997 the report "The Economic Effects Of Smoking Laws On Bars And Taverns". In it you can read that a study found that 82 percent of bar and taverns owners predict that a smoke-free ordinance would hurt their businesses.

1998
This study "The Economic Effects Of Smoking Laws On Bars And Taverns" (funded by Philip Morris) is presented at the National Licensed Beverage Association annual conference in 1998. 

1999
Michael Marlow wrote in January 1999 an analysis called "Review of 10 Articles on Economic Effects of Smoking Laws Appearing in Journal of Health Management and Practice". The first note was: "This analysis was conducted for Philip Morris Managament Corporation". 

On May 25, 1999 Mr. Marlow made a review of "Tourism and Hotel Revenues Before and After Passage of Smoke-Free Restaurant Ordinances," by Stanton A. Glantz and Annemarie Charlesworth. That review was "conducted for Philip Morris Management Corporation" and could have been intended for internal use only. 

In September 1999 Mr. Marlow wrote together with Wayne H. Winegarden (then Manager of Economic and Tax Issues with Philip Morris Asia Ltd.) "Public Finance Systems and Public Education Performance". 

Another Philip Morris funded report by Michael Marlow is "An economic analysis of the Maine smoking ban: evidence from patrons and owners of businesses" written in 1999. 

2000
Mr. Marlow wrote together with John R. Dunham a paper published in Economic Inquiry on January 2000 called "The Effect of Smoking Laws on Seating Allocations of Restaurants, Bars and Taverns". . The Economic Inquiry accepted the manuscript already in January 1999. 

That same year they wrote "Smoking laws and their differential effects on restaurants, bars, and taverns" (Contemporary Economic Policy, 18 (July 2000), 326-33). At that moment Mr. Dunham was still working at Philip Morris. Prof. Stanton A. Glantz (Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco) found many mistakes in these two papers and his conclusion was:"The Dunham and Marlow 'studies' are just repackaged versions of earlier tobacco industry claims that have been proven wrong."

2001
As a follow-up for the 'Maine' report of 1999, Mr. Marlow wrote in March 2001 the report "Economic Effects of the Maine Smoking Ban on Patrons and Businesses: Evidence Following the Ban" with on the front page the sentence "This study was funded by the Philip Morris Management Corporation".

In the fall of 2001 Mr. Marlow and Wayne H. Winegarden (then still a Manager of Economic and Tax Issues with Philip Morris Asia Ltd.) wrote "Public Finance Systems and Public Performance: Searching for an Optimal School Finance System". This is a later version of the 1999 paper 'Public Finance Systems and Public Education Performance' by Marlow and Winegarden. Both papers contain the statement; "This paper is based on an earlier study that was conducted for Philip Morris Management Corporation."

2002
In 2002 Dunham and Marlow wrote "The Private Market for Accommodation: Determinants of Smoking Policies in Restaurants and Bars". The 'Notes' section starts with:"'This paper is based in part on a study conducted for Philip Morris Management Corp.'"

This last paper is published on the site of John Dunham and Associates and on their 'Case Studies' page with a link to this paper they wrote:"'John Dunham and Associates has worked on a number of projects for major corporations throughout the United States. While many of these are proprietary, our clients have given us permission to share a number of them:'"

Another 'case study' linked from the same page has the statement: "This article was funded in part by Philip Morris Management Corporation." and yet another pro-tobacco paper of John Dunham and Associates published in June 2002 has the sentence: "One of John Dunham and Associates many clients is the Philip Morris Management Corporation."

So the paper "The Private Market for Accommodation: Determinants of Smoking Policies in Restaurants and Bars" by Michael Marlow and John R. Dunham was made for a client of John Dunham and Associates and this client was most likely Philip Morris.

2003
In the December 2003 issue of Applied Economics there was another paper written Michael Marlow and John Dunham. This time it was called "The economic incidence of smoking laws". Nothing was mentioned about Mr. Dunham working (indirectly) for Philip Morris, but again there was the statement "This paper is based in part on a study conducted for Philip Morris Management Corp." 

Books

 * Michael L. Marlow, "Public Finance: Theory and Practice", Harcourt Brace, November 1, 1994, ISBN 0030969603

Sourcewatch resources

 * Secondhand smoke

External resources

 * Stanton A. Glantz, The Dunham and Marlow "Studies" on Smokefree Restaurant Laws, More Tobacco Industry Hot Air on Smokefree Restaurants", Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, August 23, 2000
 * John Dunham, "Press Release: Economists say that smoking bans hurt everyone from restaurant owners to customers", John Dunham and Associates, December 12, 2003
 * "Michael Marlow, Economics Professor", The Orfalea College of Business, Cal Poly State University, 2004
 * "Michael Marlow", California State Polytechnic University
 * "Michael Marlow", Mercatus Center, George Mason University
 * "", ["Honestly, Who Else Would Fund This Research", EconJournal Watch, May 2008"]